My Sister Framed Me for Bullying, But Her Boyfriend Revealed the Truth

It had been less than a year since my parents took me in, but already, my adopted sister, Eliana, had tried to cut her wrists seven times.

The notes she left, written in streaks of blood, chilled me to the bone, each one echoing the same frantic plea. “Please let me go, sister!”

When Eliana Laurier was safe again, our family’s tolerance reached its limit.

They took me to court, certain in their belief that my actions had driven her to despair, accusing me of bullying her to the brink.

My eighteenth birthday was meant to be a day of celebration, yet there I was, under the merciless gaze of a public trial.

But they all missed the real story, that I had been the one tormented from the start.

——

I had barely left the recycling station when my phone chimed, and Mason Laurier’s voice came through the line.

“Saige, I need you home right now!” Mason’s tone was sharp, pressing me to hurry.

His tone was as cold as stone, lacking the warmth a father’s voice should hold. But I'd grown numb to it long ago.

By the time I got home after three bus transfers, I could barely step through the villa gate before a fierce slap struck my face.

The blow sent my head spinning, and a burning pain bloomed across my cheek.

"Saige, just look at this mess you’ve caused!"

My brother Wade’s sharp glare bore into me, and beside him, our mother, Tabitha Laurier, looked worn, tear stains tracing her cheeks.

While the details were unclear, I could easily guess this had something to do with Eliana stirring things up again.

Mason moved toward me, fury blazing in his eyes, and I felt his emotions engulf me.

“Saige, why?” Mason’s voice was tight with frustration.

“Why do you keep bullying Eliana over and over?”

“Is it just because she doesn’t share our family’s bloodline?”

“You’ve been home less than a year, and she’s tried to hurt herself seven times because of you!”

“Today was the worst yet; the doctor said if she’d been any later to the hospital, she might not have made it.”

“What do you want from her, Saige? When will you let her be? Do you really want to drive her to her death?”

Clutching my burning cheek, I tried to explain that I hadn’t bullied Eliana. I begged them not to fall for her story, saying it was just another part of her act.

The moment I dared to speak, my father's rage sparked, and in an instant, his foot struck my stomach with brutal force.

"Eliana is still lying in that hospital bed, and you dare claim she’s faking?"

"Who would risk their own life for a joke?"

"Saige, lying is the only thing you're good at!"

"You’re like a dog that can’t shed its habits, a wild thing with no sense of class!" "Bringing you back from that remote village was the worst mistake I ever made!"

I gasped as pain ripped through me, falling heavily onto the floor, sending the nearby vase crashing to the ground in a thousand pieces.

Tabitha, cold and unyielding, broke her silence at last, her voice as steely as her gaze. “Saige, if you’re determined not to change, jail is where you’ll end up.”

A tremor ran through me as I met her unflinching eyes. Could a mother truly be this heartless?

“You…you would actually press charges against me?” I asked.

Wade scoffed, shaking his head. “You’ve pushed us this far, Saige! We overlooked your past stunts and gave you chances to turn things around. But instead of changing, you kept pushing boundaries.”

“For Eliana’s sake, we have to take action now.”

“As her family, standing by and watching her suffer is not an option!”

I clenched my lips together, a slight tremble betraying the bitterness I felt. People say even a tiger would never harm its own cub, yet here I was, sharing their blood, while Eliana, an outsider, was cherished as if she were the true daughter. In my family’s eyes, she was worth more than I’d ever be.

They had sooner thrown me behind bars than watch Eliana endure any more so-called bullying. The three of them were livid, deaf to my explanations, their trust firmly rooted in Eliana’s words over mine.

Mason’s face was a stone mask as he announced, “Saige, from this moment on, you are no daughter of mine.”

His voice was cold as he continued, “You’re no longer part of this family. Don’t expect to spend another cent of ours. Leave, and brace yourself for the court summons.”

I was cast out of the villa and left to roam the empty streets.

The sky hung heavy with clouds, and a light drizzle fell, mirroring the day I lost my way all those years ago.

I huddled against the chill, the cold settling deep in my bones, but it was nothing compared to the ice gripping my heart.

Going back to that remote, stagnant village wasn’t an option. To survive, I found myself taking a job at a small restaurant.

The owner’s kindness shone through as he agreed to pay me four hundred dollars a month, along with meals and a roof over my head. It was a much-needed flicker of warmth in the cold shadow of my extended neglect.